Tag: Berlin Broadcasts

P.G. Wodehouse, Uncle Fred, War and Politics9 Comments

On this day 1960: P.G. Wodehouse didn’t turn 80.

Honoria Plum

P.G Wodehouse was born on 15 October 1881, in Guildford, England. It’s a fact you’re probably aware of already, as the social media machine churns out OTD (On This Day) tributes in an attempt to generate content to the masses. This doesn’t bother me per se. I like social media, I like history, and there are worse things we could be tweeting about. But today’s small flurry of activity marking the anniversary of P.G. Wodehouse’s birth has drawn my attention to some unfortunate inaccuracies and misconceptions about the man, his life and his work. Poor old Plum had to cope … Continue reading On this day 1960: P.G. Wodehouse didn’t turn 80.

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Guest Posts, P.G. Wodehouse, War and Politics2 Comments

Do Not Hate In The Plural

Honoria Plum

Originally posted on Nourish-n-Cherish:
I was reading a short story by P.G.Wodehouse on the train. These are the times when I most mistaken for a lunatic. My seat shudders with unconcealed mirth. I giggle, laugh and sometimes wipe away tears of laughter, while the world is going about the stern business of earning a living. He is one of my favorite authors, and after every few books that makes me mope around the world pondering on the wretchedness and seriousness of life, I turn to a P.G.W book to remind myself that tomfoolery is a virtue to be exalted and… Continue reading Do Not Hate In The Plural

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P.G. Wodehouse, War and Politics, WritersLeave a comment

On this day: George Orwell, who wrote in Defence of P.G. Wodehouse, was born (1903)

Honoria Plum

George Orwell was born on this day 1903. Best known as the author of dystopian classics 1984 and Animal Farm, Orwell also wrote a 1946 essay ‘In Defence of P.G. Wodehouse’. The background to this story has been covered in much detail elsewhere.* Before the start of the Second World War, P.G. Wodehouse was living in France. When the German Army invaded, he was among those captured and interned — in a succession of prison camps, from Belgium to Upper Silesia. He continued to write throughout his internment, and read his light-hearted camp diary aloud for the amusement of his … Continue reading On this day: George Orwell, who wrote in Defence of P.G. Wodehouse, was born (1903)

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P.G. Wodehouse, War and Politics8 Comments

The Code of the Woosters: PG Wodehouse’s guide to fighting fascism (The Guardian)

Honoria Plum

This article by Sam Jordison appeared online at The Guardian today: The Code of the Woosters: PG Wodehouse’s guide to fighting fascism | Books | The Guardian In many respects it’s a welcome move in the right direction, away from the usual misinformation and conjecture about Wodehouse’s wartime experience. Sam Jordison is right to point out that Wodehouse made fun of the British fascist Oswald Mosley in The Code of the Woosters (1938): The trouble with you, Spode, is that just because you have succeeded in inducing a handful of half-wits to disfigure the London scene by going about in black shorts, … Continue reading The Code of the Woosters: PG Wodehouse’s guide to fighting fascism (The Guardian)

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P.G. Wodehouse, Plumtopia, Reviews, World of Wodehouse16 Comments

The P.G. Wodehouse Miscellany by N.T.P Murphy

Honoria Plum

Norman Murphy’s credentials as the finest writer on Wodehouse since the sad death of Richard Usborne need no affirmation from me. This, dash it, is the man who found out exactly where Blandings Castle is. Such an act of benevolent scholarship assures his immortality. A new book from him is always a treat. Stephen Fry (Foreword)   As Stephen Fry so aptly puts it in his Forword to The P.G. Wodehouse Miscellany (Literary Miscellany), a new book from N.T.P Murphy is always a treat for Wodehouse fans. My copy of this latest release arrived in last Friday’s post and I’ve … Continue reading The P.G. Wodehouse Miscellany by N.T.P Murphy

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P.G. Wodehouse, Reviews, War and Politics, Writers14 Comments

Wodehouse misremembered

Honoria Plum

Bestsellers: Popular Fiction Since 1900 (2002) by Clive Bloom In many respects, Clive Bloom’s ‘Bestsellers’ is an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone with an interest in the history of publishing, reading, and the emergence of ‘the bestseller’ in the twentieth century. And Bloom chooses some of my favourite authors, including P.G. Wodehouse  to illustrate his points. Bloom tracks the development of ‘the bestseller’ alongside increasing literacy levels in Britain, showing how new literature classifications emerged (high-brow and low-brow) to keep class distinctions alive in literature, once the lower classes were no longer illiterate. He exposes ‘literary fiction’ … Continue reading Wodehouse misremembered

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